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INSIGHTSNews from the Mount Auburn Cancer Center

Mount Auburn HospitalAugust 2015

On Sunday, June 7, 2015, Mount Auburn Hospital held its first annual Cancer Survivorship Day. The event was held on the hospital’s campus where attendees were able to enjoy lunch, hear from a keynote speaker and attend a number of breakout sessions. The keynote speaker was Bob Widdop, also known as “Nurse BB”. Bob has been making rounds as a clown at Children’s Hospital in Boston and Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, RI since 1995. His philosophy is “there’s a whole lot of medicine in fun.”

A number of “breakout” sessions were held that day as well. These included Tai Chi, Chair Yoga, a session called ‘I hope you Dance,’ which emphasizes the healing power of dance, journaling, and meditation. A provider panel was also on hand to share their experiences of caring for cancer patients. The day ended with a survivor panel. Survivors bravely shared their stories and their journeys through cancer diagnosis and treatment and their individual strategies for self-care, as well as their insights on what it means to be a survivor. The event received rave reviews.

Mount Auburn Hospital ‘Embraces Survivorship’

Pictured are Carolyn Lamb, MD, left of the Mount Auburn Hospital Radiation Oncology department and Keynote Speaker Bob “Nurse BB” Widdop.

Inside this issue:Embraces Survivorship....................1-3 Wyman Three ..................................4Multidisciplinary Lung Nodule Care Program ..................................5Profiles.............................................6Fertility Preservation ........................7Cancer Management Committee.....8

Survivors dance with hats at the “I Hope You’ll Dance,” breakout session.

INSIGHTS: News from the Mount Auburn Cancer Center

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A Survivorship Panel was held where people shared their cancer experiences. From left are: Jay Forestier of Malden, Myra Durkin of Somerville, Leslie Brunette of Cambridge, and survivor and moderator Karen Richardson of Malden.

Susan Osofsky-Ross leads a group in an exercise during the “I Hope You’ll Dance,” class.

Mount Auburn Hospital ‘Embraces Survivorship’ Continued

Above: Attendees participate in a journaling exercise. From left are: Colleen Chatterton of Cambridge, Ann Elwell of Watertown, Ginny Leonardos of Arlington and Donna Robinson of Maryland.

Rita-Marie Champa of Somerville, left and Jeanette MacInnis of Medford attend Survivorship Day.

Paul (left) and Rosalie DiCrescenzo lead a group in the mind-body exercise practice of Tai Chi.


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Left: Pictured is the Embracing Survivorship banner with attendees’ messages.

Mount Auburn Hospital ‘Embraces Survivorship’ Continued

Survivors Sign the Embracing Survivorship banner. A place that attendees could write down their messages of hope and inspiration. Pictured are: Jenn O’Brien of Brockton, left and Rita Gildea-Bryant of Waltham, right.

Harriet Hoffman of Arlington, left, and Barbara Friedman of Cambridge, right at a Survivorship Day breakout session.

Left: Mount Auburn Hospital employees and Sur-vivorship Day volunteers work at the registration desk. From left are: Marie Lanata, RN, Mary Johnson, RN, Allison Bailey, MD, Sarah Collins, Nancy Couts and Ellen Patterson, MSW

Martha Vieties of Somerville, left and Clara Ruiz of Medford enjoy the Survivorship Day luncheon.


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Wyman 3, Mount Auburn’s Hematology/Oncology floor, is currently undergoing a massive renovation. During this time, patients are being seen on Needham 8. The waiting room is being expanded for better accessibility. A new solarium is being added with plants and lovely views of the Charles River, as well as comfortable chairs for patients and their family members. In addition, there will be a Wellness Center for classes, educational offerings and support services. “This should not only enhance the physical wellbeing of our patients and their families, but also provide space for their emotional nourishment during a difficult time,” says Lisa Weissmann, MD, Chair, Department of Hematology/Oncology. The floor is slated to re-open in September, 2015.

Wyman Three is Undergoing Renovation

Here are renderings of what Wyman 3 will look like after renovations are complete. Left is an aerial view, and below is a view of the waiting room and a view of the solarium.


Mount Auburn Hospital has started a Lung Nodule Care Program which follows a multidisciplinary approach to providing effective screening, diag-nosis and treatment of lung nodules. The team consists of Pulmonologists, Oncologists, Radiologists, Interventional Radiologists, Radiation Oncol-ogists, a Pathologist, a Thoracic Surgeon, Nursing Staff, a Social Worker and a coordinator. They meet regularly to discuss each patient in a collab-orative and comprehensive manner so as to ensure the best individualized treatment plan for the patient.

Those eligible for lung cancer screening for the program are between the ages of 55 and 77, currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years, and have smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for at least 30 years. Other patients over the age of 50 with other risk factors may also be considered. People considered for “Group 2” have a history of smoking a pack per day for at least 20 years and have at least one other risk factor.

Mount Auburn Hospital is a designated lung cancer screening center and has highly trained specialists in every aspect of lung nodule and lung can-cer detection, evaluation, diagnosis and management. Urgent consults can be arranged by paging pager number 6461 or the group name “Nodule,” by calling 617-354-8771, or by dialing 617-499-5665, extension 4708. Ques-tions about the program can be directed to Carey Thomson, MD, MPH, Director of the Multidisciplinary Lung Nodule Care Program. She can be reached at 617-354-8771.

OUR TEAM

Pulmonary: Carey Thomson, MD, MPHTanya Weinstock, MDCarrie Siracuse, MDRobert Schiffman, MD

Oncology: Lisa Weissmann, MDErin DeRose, MD

Radiation Oncology: Anthony Abner, MD

Thoracic Surgery: Peter Maggs, MD

Radiology: Leila Khorashadi, MD

Interventional Radiology:Ralph Reichle, MD

Pathology: John Perry, MD

Oncology Social Work: Meredith Hobson, LSCW

Coordinator: Deidre Aguiar

Mount Auburn Introduces Multidisciplinary Lung Nodule Care Program

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Pictured is the Lung Nodule Care Program team. Top Row, left to right: Robert Schiffman, MD, Peter Maggs, MD, Ralph Reichle, MD and John Perry, MD Bottom Row left to right: Karen Hill, RN, Deidre Aguiar, Coordinator; Tanya Weinstock, MD, Carey Thomson, MD, MPH, Anthony Abner, MD, Lisa Weissmann, MD, Leila Khorashadi, MD, Erin DeRose, MD, and Carrie Siracuse, MD


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Sara Barcia, MD joined Mount Auburn Hospital’s pathology department in 2014 after completing her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, and her fellowship in Cytopathology at the University of California San Francisco. She received her Medical Degree from Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine.

Dr. Barcia’s sub-specialty is cytopathology, which is the study and diagnoses of diseases from either spontaneously exfoliated cells or

Meet Dr. Sara Barcia of the Pathology Departmentcells removed via abrasion or fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy. This includes pap smears, fluids and FNA biopsies. “As an example,” she explains, “first-line testing of thyroid nodules is a fine needle aspiration biopsy. The thyroid is very vascular. This procedure has proven to be an effective way to get a sample with decreased bleeding complications than a larger core biopsy.”

In addition, single cell study/diagnosis can be used on any tissue to help determine whether a mass is benign versus malignant, as well as obtaining tissue for molecular studies. “This is a great first step over having to surgically excise a mass,” she says.

Peggy Cave, NP joined the Hematology/Oncology department at Mount Auburn Hospital in February, 2015. She moved to Boston in 2013 and worked as a reviewer for the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) program. Prior to her move to Boston, she worked in the Breast Cancer Clinic at the University of Michigan, and began her career as a Nurse Practitioner with Cincinnati

Hematology-Oncology in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Meet Peggy Cave, NP“As a Nurse Practitioner, I educate patients on their treatment, both I.V. and oral chemotherapies, and monitor and manage their symptoms,” says Peggy. “My job enables me to empower patients with knowledge about their disease and treatment.”

Peggy says she enjoys working at Mount Auburn Hospital. “This is a great team, and I’m happy to be working here,” she says. She has been a nurse since 1978 and received her Nurse Practitioner degree from the University of Cincinnati, 10 years ago. Her interests outside of work include reading, hiking and taking her dog on long walks.

Ashley Rogers, RN has joined the Mount Auburn Hospital Hematol-ogy/Oncology Department as the Patient Coordinator. In this role, she fields calls from patients and helps manage their symptoms by working with the physician to establish a plan. “I educate the patients as to how to manage their symptoms. If they need to come into the office, I tell them to do so but whenever possible, I strive to help them

manage their symptoms at home,” explains Ashley.

In addition, she will be meeting with patients face to face in the office to go over any new medications they may be taking, for example oral chemotherapy. One of the research studies pioneered at

Mount Auburn Hospital suggests that meeting with a nurse or pharmacist in addition to the prescribing doctor, may enhance patient adherence to the medication and increase their knowledge about benefits and possible side effects.

Ashley started working at Mount Auburn Hospital in April, 2015. She graduated from the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Nursing. Prior to that, she worked in finance. “I went to Providence College and majored in quantitative physics. Then I went into finance, but I always thought about nursing, and one day I decided to make the switch.” She has now been a nurse for four and a half years. For three of those years, she was on an oncology unit at Spaulding Hospital as a bedside nurse. She cared for patients with complex issues who also had diagnoses of cancer. She then worked at Dana Farber where she triaged patient calls (similar to her current role). Ashely says she’s excited to join the staff at Mount Auburn.

Ashley Rogers, RN, Joins Hematology/Oncology Department


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Fertility preservation helps cancer patients or survivors avoid infertility which may result from chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or surgical treatment. Female patients facing cancer treatment may be at risk of undergoing premature menopause. In these cases, elective oocyte or embryo freezing can be offered before treatment. Our consultants offer egg and embryo freezing for women, semen cryopreservation for men, as well as evaluation and treatment of cancer survivors who are experiencing infertility. For more information, contact the Cancer Treatment Center at 617-497-9646. Below are profiles on our fertility consultants.

Mount Auburn Offers Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients

Pei-Li Huang, Fertility Solutions: https://www.fertilitysolutionsne.com

Pei Li Huang, M.D. received her Medical Degree from the Boston University School of Medicine. She completed her Residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She completed a Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of California at San Diego. Dr. Huang is Board Certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility.

Rita Sneeringer, Boston IVF: https://www.bostonivf.com/

Rita Sneeringer, M.D. received her Medical Degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. She completed her Residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology and her Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Sneeringer is Board Certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility.

Samuel Pauli, IVF New England: https://www.ivfne.com

Samuel Pauli, M.D. received his Medical Degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his Residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut. He completed his Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Pauli is Board Certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility.

Our Fertility Consultants:


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John Bridgeman, Vice President of Clinical Services

Pat Lavin, RN, Nursing Director of Med/Surg & Ambulatory Services

Kathleen Forde, Director of Health Information Management

Erica Bial, MD, Director of Pain Management

Russell Nauta, MD, Chair, Department of Surgery

Susan Pories, MD, Medical Director, Hoffman Breast Center/Chief, Breast Surgical Services

Lisa Weissmann, MD, Chief of Hematology/Oncology

Thomas Caughey, MD, Hematology/Oncology

Anthony Abner, MD, Chief of Radiation/Oncology

Mary McCullough, Director, Radiation & Hematology Oncology

Elzbieta Griffiths, MD, Director, Blood Bank and Blood Donor Center

John Perry, MD, Pathology

Jeremy Schiller, MD, Interventional Radiology

Paula Falzone, RN, Hematology/Oncology

Kathy Willey, RN, Hematology/Oncology

Beth Loomis, Director, Pastoral Care

Nancy Couts, Director, Rehabilitation Services

Nickie McNally, PT, Rehabilitation Services

Beth Roy, MSW, Social Work

Ellen Patterson, MSW, Social Work

Jennette Paskell, Cancer Registry

Wei Kwan, Cancer Registry

Tracey Phillips, RN, Quality & Safety

Heather Gibbons, Quality & Safety

Mary Johnson, RN, Director, Community Health

Michael O’Connell, Vice President of Marketing & Strategic Planning

Margaret Sandin, MD, Internal Medicine

Kirsten Chervinsky, RN, Hematology/Oncology

Emily Lotterhand, RD, Clinical Nutrition Manager

Rebecca Materazzo, RD, Nutrition

Sarah Slater, MD, Palliative Care

Anna Brekhman, PharmD, Pharmacy

Matthew Fickie, MD, Cancer Genetics/Internal Medicine

Prudence Lam, MD, Cancer Genetics/Hematology/Oncology

Mount Auburn Hospital Cancer Management Committee

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